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Sunday, November 23, 2014

Pokey Reese Perseveres: The Baseball Historian's Notes for the Week of November 23, 2014

Baseball free agency kicked off in high gear with catcher Russell
Martin inking a lucrative long-term
deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. The signing not only indicates that the
Jays are in it to win it in 2015, but that there should be plenty of cash flowing
around over the next few months. It used to be that only a few select teams
would be serious spenders, but these days there is much more parity when it
comes to who dips into the available talent pool.

Now, let’s move on to the notes for the week.

*Unbelievably, former pitcher Dwight
“Doc” Gooden recently turned 50. A teenaged phenom who came up with the New
York Mets in the mid-1980s, the right-hander had an excellent career, but one
that was stunted because of off-field issues. The Studious Metsimus Blog takes a look
at how he was able to persevere despite his troubles.

At the age of 20, Gooden was an incredible 24-4 with a 1.53
ERA with the Mets in 1985, winning the Cy Young. While he had other strong
seasons, he never approached that level of dominance again. His career spanned
16 years with five teams, and he accumulated a 194-112 record and 3.51 ERA.
However, given his struggles with substance abuse, the way he finished out
strongly (including winning the 2000 World Series with the New York Yankees in
his final season) is a testament to his redemption.

*Sadly, it seems every week there is at least one death of a
current or former ballplayer to report. Most recently, Ray
Sadeckipassed
away at the age of 73. During an 18-year major league career that spanned
1960-1977 with six different teams, the left-handed pitcher was a combined 135-131
with a 3.78 ERA. His best season came in 1964, as he went 20-11 with a 3.68 ERA
for the St. Louis Cardinals. That culminated in him winning one of his two
starts in that year’s World Series, as his team edged the New York Yankees four
games to three.

Sadecki was perhaps best known for being traded
in 1966 by the Cardinals to the San Francisco Giants straight up for slugging
future Hall-of-Famer Orlando
Cepeda, who at the time was at the peak of his career.

*Moe Berg
was a nondescript journeyman backup catcher for 15 major league seasons from 1923-1939.
He hit just .243 with six home runs during that time in just a total of 1,813
at-bats. He was better known for his intellect, multiple Ivy League degrees and
later his reputation as an international spy.
That’s right; he was literally an international man of mystery in addition to
his work on the baseball diamond. This podcast is an hour of
all things Moe Berg for anyone wanting to know about this fascinating character
from the game’s past.

*During an eight-year major league career, infielder Pokey
Reese was best known for his cool name and super slick glove. He hit a
combined .248 with 44 home runs, 271 RBIs, 144 stolen bases and two Gold Glove
Awards for the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox.
Interestingly, his last game as a big leaguer was the clinching Game 4 of the
2004 World Series, as the Red Sox took home their first championship in 86
years.

Despite his commendable career, nothing has come easy for
Reese, who has experienced a good deal of tragedy. Now ten years removed from a
major league roster, he is the subject of an excellent profile by The State’s Neil White.

*Hall-of-Famer Paul
Molitor was recently hired as the newest manager of the Minnesota Twins.
Prior to that, he was one of the best hitters baseball has ever seen—no thanks
to the umpires. Following a disputed call in 1995, he was ejected by Al Clark,
who filed the following mandatory report
detailing the incident. It’s quite an interesting read, but if you really like
it, you can actually buy it through an auction. It’s never too early to be on
the lookout for holiday gift ideas!

*A hat tip to @RonJuckett
for the following tidbit. A recent
piece in Golf Digest by W.G.
Ramirez details golfer Jeff
Flagg winning the 2014 World Long Drive Championship at the Las Vegas
Paiute Golf Resort. What brings this back to baseball is that prior to smashing
drives down the fairways, he was crushing balls as a professional ballplayer.

Flagg was a 2008 27th-round draft choice of the New York
Mets. He played a total of five seasons as a first baseman in the minors and
with independent league teams, hitting a combined .247 with 58 home runs. His
best season was his last, as he hit .248 with 20 homers and 83 RBIs in 96 games
for the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League in 2012.

*And here are some photos of old baseball
stadiums back when they were in their glory. It is worth a watch, especially
for anyone who reminisces about the “good old days.”

*The 125th anniversary of the formation of the Players
League, an attempt at a player-run professional baseball league that folded
after its lone season of 1890, just passed. Deadspin’s W.M. Akers nails a
profile of the efforts of players, led by shortstop and lawyer John
Montgomery Ward, to create something that would allow them to play the game
professionally, but not under the thumb of penny-pinching owners.

Ward, who is enshrined in the Hall of Fame, is one of the
most interesting yet relatively unknown figures in baseball history. In
addition to being an outstanding player, he was also an intellect and social
figure (even marrying a Broadway actress). In 1885 he founded the Brotherhood
of American Base Ball Players, in an attempt to unionize players. Although it
eventually petered out, it was a genesis for the powerful MLB players’ union
that operates today.

*Slugger Dick Allen
was known for his prodigious power, cracking 351 home runs in a 15-year major
league career. The right-handed hitter could park them no matter where he was
playing. What made his feats all the more impressive was the tree trunk-esque
bats he swung. This short video
clip is of Allen describing the 42-ounce lumber he would bring to the
plate. The kind of torque it takes to turn around a 90+ MPH fastball is one
thing, but it is another thing entirely altogether when doing it with such a
heavy cudgel.********************************You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew